Polo Park eighth-grader wins four-year college scholarship for essay
Nya Jones, an eighth-grader at Polo Park Middle School, recently found out that she was one of three student essay contest winners to receive a four-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.
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Nya Jones, an eighth-grader at Polo Park Middle School, recently found out that she was one of three student essay contest winners to receive a four-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.
"It is very exciting and a relief for her mother [Tracey Jones] and I to know that her college is paid for," Nya's father Ollie Jones said. "Now all she needs to do is start planning her major and where she would like to go."
The essay contest was part of Florida's celebration of Black History Month and was sponsored by Gov. Rick Scott, First Lady Ann Scott and Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.
"My friend won the scholarship last year after she wrote about my dad and how his inventions have helped children with disabilities," said 13-year-old Nya. "I thought I should do it this year."
Each of the students wrote about a black pioneer in the field of Science and Technology. For her essay Nya chose to write about Mark Dean, a computer scientist and inventor.
"I wanted to write about someone who had recently made an impact," Nya said. "I also picked him because he is someone who has made an impact in my life. I mean I use the computer everyday, don't we all?"
As part of the celebration Nya was able to attend a dinner with her parents. During the dinner she was able to meet Gov. Scott and Lt. Gov. Carroll.
"It was so exciting to meet the governor," she said. "I got to shake his hand and take a picture with him. He was very friendly, so was the lieutenant governor."
It isn't just Nya's family who is proud of her. Polo Park Middle School Principal Scott Blake along with her Language Arts teacher Sheryl Beach also share in the pride.
"This is awesome. We are just so proud of her and the example she is making to fellow students," Blake said.
"I am not surprised. She is a great students and great writer," Beach said.
Nya is leaning toward attending the University of Florida to major in Communications. She would like to be a news anchor once she graduates.
Nya's award winning essay
Mark Dean: Computer Scientist and Inventor
The world that we live in today is much different than when my parents were growing up. Now technology is a part of our everyday life. From smart phones and laptops to Nooks and tablets, my generation does not know a world without technology. Instead of books we have Nooks and instead of maps we have apps. Have you ever heard, "There's an app for that?" Well it is true, you can bank, coupon, research, and even navigate with technology nowadays.
I decided to write my essay on an African American pioneer whose contributions led to some of the technology we have today. Imagine a world without being able to access the Internet, print documents, or have faster computers. Thanks to Mark Dean these things are possible. While working at IBM, Mark Dean led a team that created the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) Bus, which connects devices like modems, video and sound cards, and printers to the computer. He owns three of the nine original IBM PC patents and a total of 20 patents in all. Even though he did not invent the PC, he played a major role in its internal structure. After creating the ISA Bus he still wasn't done inventing. He later created the first GHz microprocessor chip, which makes computers even faster.
Mark Dean was the first African-American to become an IBM Fellow. He was selected for his achievements in engineering, programming and technology. He has received many awards, such as the "National Institute of Science Outstanding Scientist Award" and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Before his current position as Chief Technology Officer for IBM Middle East and Africa, Mark Dean was the Vice President of the IBM Almaden Research Center and Senior Location Executive in Silicon Valley.
Mark Dean's contributions to PCs have changed our lives in many ways. Computers have provided a better way of communicating and sharing information. We can talk to friends on websites such as Facebook and Twitter and find information on almost anything on the Internet using search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Mark Dean's inventions have also created opportunities and inspired African-American youth to become more interested in technology. Not only is Mark Dean a part of American history, he is also a part of Floridian history, receiving his Masters Degree in computer Science from Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
Unfortunately, we do not hear a lot about black pioneers in technology, so it has been encouraging to learn about Mark Dean's accomplishments. I am now even more interested in math and science and how it is used in technology. Researching and writing about Mark Dean has truly been inspiring. Now, whenever I turn on my computer I will remember Mark Dean and be challenged to use my education, talents, and skills to make a difference for future generations. I hope to someday create something great that can advance the world just like Mark Dean.
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